Who am I? What is one of my Greatest Financial Acheivements?

My name is Andy.

My family and I immigrated from Vietnam during the late 70's to pursue the American Dream. We came over on a small fishing boat, braved harsh elements, and escaped the clutches of communism.

I'm fortunate to say that today, we're all living the American Dream. As I've mentioned in my first blog, I've been in the marketing field for about 8 years now, a job that challenges and excites me. At the same time, I'm getting my MBA degree from USC in the evening time to further enhance my career so I feel that the best years are still ahead of me!

To get to this point, however, it wasn't without some bumps along the way. My greatest financial achievement, which I'll get to later, could not have been obtained until after one of my "lower" moments, which was moving back home after my undergraduate experience here at USC. It definitely wasn't one of my prouder moments as a lot of my friends lived in awesome apartment locations throughout the city. Oh, and moving back home didn't exactly enhance my dating life either. ;)

Thinking back, moving back home was one of the best things I did. I was fortunate that my parents didn't rent out my room and kept it as I remembered it, only to find that it was quite an adjustment moving back. We essentially had to learn how to live with each other all over again, with my fight for independence and freedom seemingly always being an issue.

I try to think in longer terms when planning things. I knew that there'd be no way for me to save up enough money to buy a home if I jumped into renting after graduation. It took a while for my career to take shape as I paid my dues. Fortunately, there's no longer a stigma to moving back home.

So this comes to my "greatest financial achievement," purchasing my own home. I was fortunate that I purchased it a few years back and that I was ready to pounce on the moment when it became available and within my budget. Had I not lived at home for a while, surely the opportunity would have passed me by. I would've never been able to afford it had I started renting right away after college.

As you weigh your living arrangement options after graduation, just know that you have choices. Setting a goal for yourself and make decisions that are consistent with the goal will help you achieve them. Because I was able to follow-up with my goal and plan that I set up for myself, I'm able to achieve the American Dream of owning my own home.

YOU’VE GRADUATED. NOW WHAT?

When I graduated from USC, I didn't know which career direction I wanted to take. There always seems to be the "hot jobs" and cool companies that everyone seems to want to work for during graduation. Graduating in the late 90's, the cool fad at the time was in IT and/or working for one of the Big Accounting firms.

If those types of companies suit you best, more power to you. If not, try not be seduced by the latest fads. Make sure that the career path you choose fits your personality and can provide the lifestyle you desire that extends beyond a paycheck. Factor in the long hours & know if your first job will lead to your ultimate goals down the road. The chances that you will be staying at your first job after college are extremely remote in today's age. So make sure its in the direction that will lead you down the career path you really want. If you're not sure, internships or temp jobs may be the way to go (as suggested by my fellow blogger).

Also, you may not know what career direction you want. At the very least, begin by narrowing your options by knowing what you DON'T want. Know where your interests and passions are, then go from there. It's no coincidence that success stories often start a person's passionate interests in life. Not only do you need to assess the career function: marketing, finance, or teaching, you need to assess the industry you'll work in. Afterall, if you work for a soap company for 10 years after college, you might be labeled as a "soap expert” and have trouble moving into different industries. And don't get discouraged if your first job isn't your dream job. You can view it as a stepping stone to bigger and better things down the road.

So which career path did I choose? I decided to choose the option that was best suited for me, which was a career in marketing. I never saw myself in IT/accounting roles, and craved for more creativity and freedom in my career. But it was hard not to be seduced by what all my friends were interested in.

Today, I'm making my living doing something I really enjoy (while allowing me to get my MBA in the evenings at USC), while many dotcoms have subsided and a few of the Arthur Andersens of the world have gone the way of the dodo bird.